ENDURANCE AND HORSE WELFARE

I firmly believe that the majority of Endurance riders are the most knowledgeable horse people in the world.  From that perspective, I am honored to be a member of such an elite group of equestrians. However, in every equine discipline, there are those who put “winning at all costs” above the well being of the horse, who has no choice in the matter.

Unfortunately, there are no enforced rules, policies, or sanctions specified by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) with regard to rider/horse behavior other than the fact that a Vet can disqualify an unruly horse in the Vet Check.  (AERC Rules) Horses can and do die at Endurance rides.  Some are accidents, some are due to pre-existing medical problems, some are due to lack of knowledge, and some are due to uncaring individuals riding their horse into metabolic distress from which he is unable to recover.  It is reasonable to assume that horses die or are euthanized after returning home because of metabolic issues.  It is also reasonable to assume that consistently pushing a horse to the limit of or beyond his physical capabilities can severely impact his long term health.

There are a no AERC rules or policies specifying any “rest period” from competition for horses that have been metabolically stressed. A participant in an Endurance ride can override their horse to the point where he fails the veterinary exam and is given treatment by a Vet, yet the rider can…assuming the horse can pass the pre-ride Vet-in…enter the same horse in another ride the next day…and again ride him into metabolic distress. You can literally ride your horse to death and historically, the only response from AERC has been condolences that you lost your horse and perhaps some "private counseling" from the Horse Welfare Committee.  Participants at AERC sanctioned rides…members or non-members…can simply acquire another horse and override it as well without regard to previous abuses.  AERC does not have regulations which impose sanctions even for repeated abuse. The AERC Board rejected in December 2003 a rule that would have provided a least some protection for the horse due to overriding by requiring a “rest period” for the horse after a metabolic pull.  (Proposed Rule) 

Although AERC maintains a database available to the membership on each rider and horse which shows the pull code for an incompletion at rides, no summary statistics are published.  The lack of published statistical summary data on rider/horse Endurance competition has prevented the membership from even being aware of problems  and made it difficult to justify implementing appropriate new rules and safeguards.

Prior to 2004, no records regarding the number of horse fatalities or the circumstances surrounding those fatalities were even kept or reported to the membership. Starting in 2004, at least some detail regarding horse deaths each year has been published. (AERC Horse Fatalities) At the 2003 Annual Convention in Chattanooga, TN under pressure from the membership, the Horse Welfare Committee (HWC) was formed.  In the subsequent three years, this committee has focused primarily on member counseling and education and has been unable to get any rule change with regard to equine welfare past the Board, despite the fact that a record number of horses (10) died in 2006.  

There is no “novice” division for Endurance.  That may well have been the intent for Limited Distance (LD) initially, but for whatever reason the only difference now between LD and Endurance is the distance, and as long as there are LD awards for anything other than finishing, that won’t change. The risks to the horse are the same in LD and Endurance. Riders simply prepare their horse to the best of their ability, go to a ride and hope for the best...the school of hard knocks.  If your horse (or you) is injured or dies, tough…you should have been more careful.  

AERC denies access to useful detailed information on horse fatalities and ride statistics to its membership even upon request.   California Corporate law states:

 “The accounting books and records and minutes of proceedings of the members and the board and committees of the board shall be open to inspection upon the written demand on the corporation of any member at any reasonable time, for a purpose reasonably related to such person’s interests as a member”

(California Corporate Code 6333)

Despite this law, AERC denies access to the Veterinary Committee Reports on horse fatalities to its members, effectively shrouding the fatality and the details that contributed to it in secrecy.

Although a Ride Card is kept for every horse/rider at most Endurance rides that records every horse’s condition throughout the ride, that information is not available or filed in a database for study, again denying the membership (and AERC) statistical information that could justify the need for additional rules to protect the horse.  In addition, AERC does not even have a “standard” Ride Card, increasing the difficulty of performing valid studies.  Some rides do not even use one.

Post Ride Statistical Analysis Reports are also sent to AERC by Ride Managers, but those reports and the data from them are not available to the membership. Whenever a new rule of any type is proposed, one of the major questions that always gets asked is “What statistics do we have to justify the change?”  AERC should concentrate on collecting as much data as possible and providing it to the membership.  The organization, riders….and most assuredly the horses…would benefit.

Sadly for the horses, “privacy”, “potential for litigation”, and “personal agendas” are obviously of greater concern to the AERC Board than horse welfare.  It would behoove AERC to impose term limits on the number of years individuals can serve on the Board.  Until that happens, changes in horse welfare rules are unlikely. We are a nation of laws where people are supposedly held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, that is not true in AERC. Although AERC's position is that "you are ultimately responsible for the welfare of your horse", there is no penalty for abusing that responsibility. 

If you CARE about your horse, take the time to train and condition him properly and ride within the limits of your knowledge and your horse's physical capabilities.  Do not depend on Veterinary Inspections to guard his welfare.  The number of Vet Checks and hold times vary from ride to ride.  AERC does not specify any specific number of vet checks for a given distance or how many miles apart they should be.  Be especially careful if the distance to the first check exceeds 15 miles.  This is the most dangerous time for your horse due to early ride excitement and the tendency of a horse to “run with the pack”. Get off and walk for a while if necessary. Once your horse is in a deficit, it is difficult for him to recover and metabolic distress is not far away.  In the words of Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, "He may not be over the edge, but he can see it from where he is". Don't let your ego get in the way of that responsibility. Put the welfare of your horse above winning or finishing at all costs.  Injuries happen from rocks, bogs, sand, falls, etc., but it is NOT acceptable to push your horse into metabolic distress at a ride under any circumstances. Even ONE metabolic pull means you have potentially failed your responsibility to your horse.

It is presumptuous and unrealistic to assume that every Endurance rider is a “trainer”.  There are many riders who simply get on and ride….and readily admit that…even experienced riders.  There are those who go out and acquire a young horse specifically for Endurance, condition him well, and just put him out there with no significant behavior training. It’s a LOT easier to condition than it is to train. The only thing more dangerous in an Endurance ride than an “out-of-control” horse is a “fit out-of-control horse”. I once had a rider on a mare charge up behind Sunny and bite him on the butt.  To his credit, Sunny just tucked and scooted out of the way.  The mare was coming back for another try until I turned Sunny around and hit her across the head with my sponge.  The rider apologized and said ‘I haven’t had much time to work with her” as they charged off down the trail.  Now why was that horse in competition?  That said, no matter how much you train and prepare your horse for that first ride, he will turn into a creature you don’t recognize at rides until he figures it all out.  For that reason, my first Endurance ride on a new horse will be where I have wide trails with lots of room to get out of the way and it will be a 50 to give me more time to work with him.  I will get off and regress to ground manners training if the situation warrants. Early in his career, I am more concerned with “training and safety” than “finishing”, and then more concerned with “finishing at my pace” than “running up front”.  A horse never forgets anything.  If you let him run out of control early in his career, he becomes even harder to control.  Every horse is different…it takes however long it takes and pays dividends down the road when you can ride at a speed you choose on a slack rein with a simple hackamore under any conditions and finish with a sound, safe horse.

I have never “looked” for a specific horse that will make me…or him…a “winner” from the perspective of finishing “first”.  I enjoy training and conditioning a horse that I like and respect, bonding with him in a common goal, and then taking on tough challenges together.  Not against other riders, but against the terrain, the weather, and the trail…doing my very best with that horse on that trail on that day in a given environment over the toughest trails I can find.  If he can never "win" or do 100 miles, that’s OK, too.  If I finish first or last, that’s irrelevant…that’s just a reference point for where he is in his training/conditioning program. What IS important when I review “our” performance is not where in the pack we finished, but how I could have made it easier for my horse, cared for him better, ridden smarter, taught him more, conditioned him (and me) better…and most of all, the mental list of what I learned from that ride and a gut check on where my ego was.  How the horse is prepared, how the trail is ridden, and how the goals are pursued on the day of a ride are the major determinants as to the majority of ill-effects a  horse will experience.  It's important to ride "That Trail on That Day on That Horse With the Welfare of the Horse Foremost in Your Mind".  It’s about one rider, one horse, many miles. 

Ride, really ride....ride long...but ride safe, and ride smart.

"Travel from dawn to dusk in the company of a Creature who offers Strength without Brutality, Companionship without Criticism, and Beauty without Vanity".   _ Donna Snyder-Smith